My Own Dressing

I started with Mom's recipe - then had to adjust for Mom-in-law: then I adjusted it here and there according to my husband and sons ... and my taste buds. One major break-through was deciding how much of each ingredient: like, how many people? Times two. Figure 1/4 cup onion for each. Use an equal amount of celery, sprinkle with cilantro until the vegies barely show through. Enough egg to coat all, milk to almost float the vegies. Pepper to taste, but I just make sure there is pepper over the surface. Salt is up to you. Enough bread to sop all the liquid ... and maybe just a bit more: add some chicken broth to complete the 'sopping'. I always put thinly sliced butter over the top. Inside the turkey? If you want, but try this: cut a chunk of French bread that will fit in the cavity. Slice in half, put thin slices of onion, a bit of cilantro - put the 'onion sandwich' inside. Believe me: there is never enough to go around.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups onions, chopped, put into 1/2 the bottom of a large bowl
• 2 1⁄2 cups celery, chopped
• 1  bunch cilantro, chopped, to barely cover the top
• 2 -4  eggs
• 1 1⁄4 cups milk
• 1  large  French bread
•  pepper
•  salt
•  msg
• 1  cup chicken broth (optional, sometimes necessary)
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1  large  French roll
• 1  medium yellow onion
• 12  leaves cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. This recipe can be enlarged for more people easily, but I usually make for 10.
2. 2 1/2 onions, chopped, mound in half of the bottom of a large bowl.
3. Equal mound of celery, chopped.
4. 1 sheaf cilantro, cleaned, chopped, with heavy stem parts removed. Sprinkle over the vegies - to taste, but enough so you can barely see the vegies.
5. Eggs: start with 2 and mix well into the vegies. You want all bits coated with egg, so you may have to add one or two more.
6. Milk: usually 1 1/4 cup - the goal is to not cover the vegies, but to make the bits almost float.
7. Pepper: sprinkle over the top so there is a light covering over all.
8. salt: That's up to you. I use about 1-2 Tablespoons (I have to eat salt).
9. Break or cut French bread into the mixture until the bread sops up the liquid. If your final stirring looks a bit dry, add enough chicken broth to do the job. I use Swanson's.
10. Transfer to a casserole dish - or two.
11. Slice cubed butter very thin over the top, don't stir.
12. Bake at 350 for an hour or until top is toasty.
13. STUFFING.
14. Measure the cavity of the bird, cut French bread to fit. Usually 5" to 6". Then slice in half - like for a sandwich.
15. Onion: slice thin rings and lay over one of the halves, overlapping.
16. Cilantro: a dozen leaves, chopped or not, over the onion.
17. Pepper: a small sprinkling.
18. Put halves together and put into the cavity carefully, small end first.
19. It will absorb juice from the turkey so you'll need to spoon it out of the bird. The onion sandwich also adds flavor to the turkey. Subtle, but mmm.